Billionaire Kerry Stokes and Nine-owned Fairfax are fighting about how to calculate costs for Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case after the Seven West Media chair agreed to foot the legal bill on an indemnity basis.
Seven West Media chair Kerry Stokes has agreed to pay the costs of Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case, sparing the billionaire from producing thousands of emails exchanged with Roberts-Smith’s solicitors about the case. The Stokes-owned Australian Capital Equity has acquiesced to a third-party costs order sought by Nine-owned Fairfax, according to a Federal Court order…
Two cosmetic surgeons have filed defamation suits seeking aggravated damages over coverage by the ABC and Fairfax that allegedly painted them as “outlaw surgeons” who mutilated a patient and exploited the Medicare system.
Former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has been ordered pay $910,000 in security for costs as he appeals a defamation ruling that found he committed murder in Afghanistan and was not a reliable witness.
A judge has denied Fairfax’s bid to strike out allegations by a Western Australian businessman that it was the publisher of allegedly defamatory comments that appeared on one of its Facebook pages.
In allowing Seven and chairman Kerry Stokes to challenge a ruling granting Fairfax access to 8,600 emails with accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith’s legal team, a judge has said they will suffer prejudice if “personally embarrassing” communications are put into evidence.
Seven Network and chairman Kerry Stokes can challenge a ruling allowing Fairfax to access thousands of “deeply personal” emails sent to and from former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith during his defamation case.
Subpoenas granting Fairfax access to thousands of emails to and from former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, represent “a very real and profound intrusion into private affairs,” a court has heard.
Former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith and Seven Network, which funded his defamation case, have asked for the Full Federal Court to weigh in on appeals against a decision requiring the production of thousands of emails passing between them, which the broadcaster said has implications for all funded proceedings.
Former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith should pay all costs reasonably incurred by Fairfax in successfully defending itself in his defamation case, which took more than 100 trial days and was an abuse of process, a court has heard.